1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for stopping and controlling the escape of fluid from wells or pipes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As shown by recent events in the Gulf of Mexico, oil well blowouts are a serious threat to the environment, and can be very costly. There is a need for reliable devices for recovering from blowouts. None of the prior inventions discussed below are equivalent to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,543,456 issued on Jun. 23, 1925, to Robert Stirling, discloses a blowout preventer, without the Bernoulli effect of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,138, issued on Sep. 14, 1976, to Duane L. Knopik, discloses an underground fluid recovery device, but does not disclose a funnel that is placed over a pipe from which fluid is escaping, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,207, issued on Sep. 2, 1980, to Neil W. Allen, discloses a sea floor diverter, without the use of the Bernoulli effect, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,827, issued on Nov. 24, 1981, to Rajam R. Murthy and Billy J. Rice, discloses a guided-float accumulator suitable for use with a hydraulic system for an oil well blowout preventer, using reaction forces that oppose Bernoulli effect forces, rather than making use of Bernoulli effect forces as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,467, issued on Mar. 15, 1983, to Neil W. Allen, discloses a sea floor diverter, without the use of the Bernoulli effect, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,523, issued on Apr. 3, 1984, to Jerome H. Milgram and James Burgess, discloses a separating collector for subsea blowouts, but without air or other fluid being pumped down to create a Bernoulli effect, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,220, issued on Feb. 4, 1986, to John J. Hickey, discloses a system for capping and/or controlling undersea oil or gas well blowouts, but without the use of the Bernoulli effect, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,069, issued on Aug. 12, 1986, to McClafin et al., discloses a method for producing heavy, viscous crude oil, but it is not a blowout recovery device, as is the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,676, issued on Nov. 13, 1990, to Joseph L. LaMagna, discloses an air pressure pick-up tool using the Bernoulli effect, but it is not a blowout recovery device, as is the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,854, issued on May 7, 1991, to John A. Bond, discloses a pressure release valve for a subsea blowout preventer that is hydraulically operated, without making use of the Bernoulli effect as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,496, issued on Apr. 6, 1993, to Clifford L. Redus and Peter L. Sigwardt, discloses a subsea pumping device incorporating a wellhead aspirator, using the Bernoulli effect, but does not disclose a funnel placed over a pipe from which fluid is escaping, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,904, issued on Feb. 22, 2000, to James A. Burd and Kenneth J. Huber, discloses a method and apparatus for commingling and producing fluids from multiple production reservoirs, but it is not a blowout recovery device, as is the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,040, issued on May 9, 2000, to Leonid L. Levitan, Vasily V. Salygin and Vladimir D. Yurchenko, discloses a method and apparatus for the withdrawal of liquid from wellbores, but unlike the instant invention, it is not a blowout recovery device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,779, issued on Sep. 19, 2000, to Larry Joe Gipson and Stephen Leon Carn, discloses a method and system for separating and disposing of solids from produced fluids, but unlike the instant invention, it is not a blowout recovery device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,888, issued on Aug. 5, 2003, to Lon McIlwraith and Andrew Christie, discloses contactless handling of objects, using the Bernoulli effect, but unlike the instant invention, it is not a blowout preventer.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,987,903, issued on Aug. 2, 2011, to Jose Jorge Prado Garcia, discloses an apparatus and method for containing oil from a deep water oil well, but does not disclose the use of the Bernoulli effect, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,016,030, issued on Sep. 13, 2011, to Jose Jorge Prado Garcia, discloses an apparatus and method for containing oil from a deep water oil well, but does not disclose the use of the Bernoulli effect, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0171331, published on Jul. 8, 2010, to Stefan Jonas and Lutz Redmann, discloses a Bernoulli gripper for holding two-dimensional components such as silicon-based wafers, but it is not a blowout recovery device, as is the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,678, issued on Jun. 26, 2012, U.S. Pat. No. 8,418,767, issued on Apr. 16, 2013, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/837,065, filed on Mar. 15, 2013, all to Philip John Milanovich (the applicant therein), all disclose a blowout preventer with a Bernoulli Effect Suck-Down Valve. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it discloses unique features, including a sleeve that is placed over the open end of the well pipe, and positioning rings attached to the high pressure pipe.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.